1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic blackboard, especially, relates to an electronic blackboard which has a writing medium having a board surface on which a drawing object such as a letter, a diagram or the like can be drawn, a reader for reading the drawing object on the writing medium, and a data port for outputting the read drawing data to a removable exterior storage medium.
2. Discussion of Related Art
There is an electronic blackboard, which stores a drawing object such as a letter, a diagram or the like drawn on a writing surface as drawing data into an exterior memory. FIG. 8 shows a perspective view showing a conventional electronic blackboard. The electronic blackboard 500 has a rectangular frame 510 supported by a stand 501, at which an endless-type sheet member 502 is arranged. The sheet member 502 forms a writing surface 503, on which a drawing object such as a letter, a diagram or the like is drawn, at a front opening of the frame 510. The electronic blackboard 500 has an optical reader (not shown) for optically reading the drawing object drawn on the sheet member 502 and for outputting drawing data corresponding to the read drawing object. With the optical reader, the drawing object such as a letter, a diagram or the like drawn on the sheet member 502 can be printed out to a paper by a printer 504. Further, while the electronic blackboard 500 prints out by the printer 504 the drawing object such as a letter, a diagram or the like read by the optical reader, the electronic blackboard 500 stores the drawing data to an exterior memory such as a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory or the like. Conventionally, there is a printer 504 which provides a USB port 508 at a front side thereof.
Japanese Laid Open Publication No. 2004-15619 discloses an electronic blackboard which includes a sheet member on which a drawing object such as a letter, a diagram or the like are drawn, an optical reader for optically reading the drawing object drawn on the sheet member and for outputting drawing data corresponding to the read drawing object, a memory for storing the drawing data outputted from the optical reader, and an output part for providing an output corresponding to the drawing object based on the drawing data stored in the memory, wherein the output part includes a multipurpose exterior storage medium removably connected thereto, and the exterior storage medium stores image data as the output.
Also, Japanese Laid Open Publication No. 2006-12040 discloses an information processing system in which a USB terminal is adaptable as the output part and a USB memory is usable as the exterior storage medium.
According to the conventional electronic blackboard described above, a located position of the USB port, to which the USB memory as the exterior memory is connected, is provided at a position near a printer, for example, where the drawing data is taken in easily. Therefore, it is not always convenient for usage of the USB memory.
That is, the position of the USB port is not recognized at a glance when the USB memory is inserted, and the inserted USB memory is often forgotten to be removed from the USB port after use of the electronic blackboard.